PUCCOON
(Lithospermum incisum)
As the month of May begins to furnish the landscape with wildflowers, be sure to look down to discover the many smaller flowers that hug the ground. Among the brightest of these is the Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum). Although it can grow to 12 inches in height, it usually peaks between 2 to 8 inches in our area.
A native perennial, the Puccoon is a member of the Forget-me-not (Boraginaceae) Family. It can be found in much of southern Canada and south through the prairies and plains states to northern Mexico at elevations up to 8500 feet.
The Puccoon’s heavy black taproot produces a plant with many stems, branching out to form a small bushy appearance or a single, nearly unbranched stem. Stems and leaves are often clustered with bristly hairs. Leaves are alternate and linear, mostly one-eighth - two inches long without teeth. The basal leaves usually shrivel before the plant blooms. Distinctive lemon-yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers have irregularly serrated edges, thus the species name incisum which means deep, irregularly cut.
The genus Lithospermum is derived from the Greek lithos - stone and sperma - seed. Spring flowers are often infertile, but later in the summer the plant generates smaller, almost invisible flowers which produce very fertile, hard, stone-like seeds.
This plant is individually conspicuous but often obscured by surrounding bushes or shrubs. It usually can be found growing on dry soils in moderately grazed prairie. The roots are sometimes used to make a red or purple dye.
It’s definitely worth a walk on the North Trail at Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve in May to see this small, lovely plant with its bright yellow flowers. But, you need to look down, and when you do, you may discover a whole world of small wildflowers growing alongside and around the Puccoon.
Family: Forget-me-not (Boraginaceae)
Genus: Lithospermum Species: incisum
Botanical Name: Lithospermum incisum
Common Name: Puccoon
